Road Structures

Work to construct a key bridge in China has been aided by a crane supplied by XCMG The crane was used to erect 100m high twin bridge supports for the structure. The bridge is a dual-cable, pre-stressed concrete cable-stayed bridge featuring two towers. The bridge is located in Shandong and was recently opened to traffic. The project was not without its challenges. Building such a large bridge spanning the Yi River required sophisticated methodologies and use of the latest technology. Mounting the cab

The implementation of a new strategy looks set to lead to strong development among infrastructure-related industries in export markets for Chinese firms. And as an industry leader in the production of construction machinery, Zoomlion has long been preparing to compete against the major international companies At the bauma China 2014 event in Shanghai, Zoomlion gave an insight into its international ambitions according to the firm. At the show, the senior director in charge of Zoomlion overseas business,

The Detroit River is short, only 45km, and narrow in places, less than 1km. Around a quarter of the annual $658 billion Canada-US trade crosses over the river. That’s $160 billion worth of goods trucked each year between Detroit in the US state of Michigan and the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario - the Windsor-Detroit Corridor. There are several types of crossings, but the vast majority of commercial traffic must use the 2.3km Ambassador Bridge (see box). A new bridge was initially prop

New machines from Italian supplier Barin are now being used to help maintain bridges in Thailand. The Department of Rural Roads ordered one of the Barin AB range of bridge inspection machines for use by its Bridge Construction Bureau. This machine was installed on a suitable truck chassis to cope with the 24tonne GVW and as with other units in the Barin range, is able to operate from a single lane. The AB 13/S unit offers a bridge barrier clearance height of 3.6m and a sidewalk clearance of 3.2m. Ho

XCMG is broadening its range of lifting machines with the introduction of a new telehandler and a new crane. The XC6-4517 telehandler has been developed in-house and is now being exported, with units having been supplied to Qatar. Although based on existing models, the new XC6-4517 features better ergonomics and a new FOP and ROPS cab that offers good all-round visibility. High off-road performance is claimed while the machine is also manoeuvrable, with a minimum turning radius of 3.8m. The machine is d

A series of major infrastructure projects in Malaysia are attracting strong interest from prospective bidders. The series of infrastructure projects forms part of the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP). Firms keen to participate in the tender process include UEM Edgenta, Bina Puri Holdings and Nexgram Holdings. One of the biggest projects planned is for the Pan Borneo Highway. In all this is expected to be worth some US$7.18 billion. The start of the works for the 1,663km road has yet to be defined but the route sho

Proposals to construct the Sunda Strait Bridge are not feasible, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia. Safety risks from earthquakes, tsunami, high tides and extreme weather conditions make the project impractical. A US$75.46 million feasibility study was carried out for the project. This pointed out that the bridge is at a high risk from earthquakes and tsunamis due to its vicinity to the Anak Krakatoa volcano.

Algeria is upgrading National Road One (RN01) so that it will become the North-South motorway. The project involves widening and improving the route as well as adding more lanes. The work forms part of the 2010-2014 five-year plan and involves seven local and national companies. It involves doubling the number of lanes for the 103km stretch between the Laghouat and Ghardaïa regions. The work is costing US$116 million. Work on the first 51km section will be completed at the end of August 2015, while the seco

Colombia’s Villavicencio-Yopal highway will be built by the consortium Estructura Plural Arauca (Conecol-Episol). The package of works was awarded by Colombia's National Infrastructure Agency (ANI). This deal forms part of the group of tenders for the second tranche of Colombia’s 4G roads programme. All nine of the 4G roads projects will be awarded by 15th July 2015. Under the Villavicencio-Yopal highway concession, the consortium must develop 261km of the route with an investment of US$741.9 million. The n

A joint venture featuring John Holland, Samsung C&T and Leighton Contractors (Leighton) has secured a deal to build and design Sydney’s M4 East motorway. The M4 East forms part of a project to build the WestConnex road tunnel, completion of which is expected in 2023. The M4 East is planned to be ready in 2019, while the WestConnex road tunnel is the biggest transport infrastructure of its kind in Australia. The deal won by the joint venture partners is valued at US$2.1 billion. The WestConnex project is pla